Write Start Preschool Picnic Day

Bria and Ada had the best year in preschool. Because of the way Ms. B teaches, age doesn't matter so Bria and Ada were able to be in the same preschool class. Win win!  Bria will move on to Kindergarten while Ada will attend one more year! They really are the best of friends. They basically spend every minute together. Some days great, some days not as great!

The day before Preschool graduation all classmates met at a nearby park. We brought our own lunch and then Ms. B brought a treat. I had to laugh because she brought no name Twinkies. Neither of my children knew what they were. All the other children were screaming with excitement while Ada said, "what is it mommy". That's my girl!

We enjoyed playing and eating all afternoon until NPA carpool interrupted our fun. The day was gorgeous and we loved the company.

 Ada is a swinger. She knows how to pump herself now so all I do is give one underdog and I am good for hours. She swings and swings as long as we let her.

 Bria and Ryli are the best of friends. They see each other everyday at the gym. I hope Kindergarten won't  put a damper on this little friendship.

 Ada sporting a too small shirt. She really has her own tastes and try as I may she does what she wants. Kind of reminds me of her older version sister.

It was so hilarious two buses pull up and a bazillion orange shirted kids jumped out. Bria came over to where I was sitting and said, "Well, I guess the orange kids are here now, we better go." I don't know what is wrong with me but this hit a funny cord and I seriously giggled about it for an hour. Maybe it was her tone or just the visual it brought back because we truly were invaded by orange.

Bria and Ada both have been working on the monkey bars. Here is Ada trying her hardest to master this set. It was a little advanced, so I ended up assisting but she did give it a good effort.

 

Memories of the week

Ada was insisting on a date with Corby. She kept after him all evening. Finally, we gave in and they went on a "date". I jumped in and tagged along just for the hay of it.
As we were driving, Ada continued to request  a date with dad. I asked her what does a date mean to you Ada, she quickly responds "ice cream and fries.......... and a hamburger". I busted up laughing. She is hilarious. Who could deny the child a date so off to Wendy's we went to have a date with dad. Didn't do the hamburger thing but scored points with purchasing the other two requests. So funny little Ada Rae.

Another fun memory with Ada. I let my girls dress themselves every day. Now, they do a great job, not always matching, but bodies are covered and that is frankly all I care about. I did not even pay attention to what Ada had on until we reached Gold's Gym. Ada hops out of vehicle wearing white tights with a
 t-shirt. Awesome! I felt like a great observant mother and best part of it was she was headed straight to preschool from the gym. Luckily my good friend Misty provided my darling daughter a skirt. What would I do without good friends????
If you saw a child dressed like this, would you contact DCFS? Would she pass for wearing leggins? Wonder if I could get away with just wearing  white tights?......super scary thought! She is loved but not always supervised properly. Love ya little Ada, fashion statement, Rae.

Another funny Ada has recently said is, "Mom, Justin Beiber lives next to Dr. Phil in Harryman" How does she even know what these three words even mean? Silly little spunky Ada Rae.

Something else Ada does that I want to remember forever is every night after family prayer Corby hugs each girl and recites, "Hugs not Drugs". Now Ada hugs everyone and tells them same discourse. Her sweet little voice with a lisp is just so darn cute.

We recently attended a seminar where you are to open your arms wide and recite good morning world and bring your arms toward you. What you are doing is inviting good positive items into your world and pushing out the negative. Every morning Ada screams while doing the arm movements, "Good Morning World"

 

I had purchased some Capri Sun juice boxes at Costco this week. I put the 30# box on the counter and went about my business. I heard a crash and found this......

 The box hit the lovely golden oak banister just right and split it.  Corby called a few minutes after the incident happened and was thrilled to hear of the new "honey do" project. I am secretly hoping it can't be fixed and then we can replace the whole set up. Golden Oak is just not the look I am into.


 Bria had a friend, Lindsey over to play, did not get a photo shoot but this is what they did. They wore all my high heel shoes around the house. Glad my stylish wardrobe serves multiple purposes!

 Went to walmart, we were in the check out line and a sweet old lady dropped her coins. I asked Bria to pick them up and give them to the lady. Bria was obedient and handed the "pennies" over. The lady commented on how helpful Bria was and then gave Bria the money. Bria was so excited to receive three pennies, 2 quarters and 1 nickel but who is counting. Bria is saving up for a whole pack of gum.....pay dirt!

In the mail we received this really nice card from Grandma Hansen. She had spent some time with us right before Mother's Day. She labeled all the flowers our family names. Even a Maybelle, our cat, was a butterfly.

What a treasure for sure. I made Stuffed Peppers that evening, not even knowing it was her favorite meal and it really impacted her life. Grandma Hansen you crack us all up.

Perpetuity and Beyond!

We have a business, several actually, but one is called Perpetuity. We have a business partner, Ryan and Trianna Tucker.

We have been partners for about 6 years now. They are great. They have two small boys and live in Lehi. We own a property together and collect monthly rent payments. Our little business account needed some expenses so we had a business meeting this past Saturday evening. Trianna was so good to do ALL the prep work for BBQ.  I just showed up to have a good time. It was such a good time. We love hanging out with this couple, so so fun. Some of our favorites for sure. They gave us a tour of their incredible house. They understand the magic in vision boards and make dreams happen.

We enjoyed steak, chicken, fruit,  corn on the cob, chips, broccoli salad, and so much more. After we ate, we played on their sport court, OK, do you know what a sport court is? It is definitely going on my vision board. I need a much larger yard but that is also on the vision board.

Here is our evening through photos........

 Girls playing Lightening. Ryan won.....his house his rules;)

Ryan and Drew getting the equipment out. I tell you this sports court is pretty fantastic.

  The Tuckers have a huge sandbox with an airplane and clubhouse in it. The girls loved it.

Had to put this photo in since the last one the propeller was covering her cute little mug. 

Gorgeous covered patio where we ate our dinner. Love you girls!

 Cute little table for the munchkins. Jordan eating corn, Drew admiring his brother and my girls providing cheesy grins. Cheese it up cutie pies.

Trianna, Ryan, Corby, Teesh, Malia and Sierra 

After dinner, we had a couples game of pickle ball. I have issues with hand eye coordination but it was still fun even if we were royally smashed. It is the thought that counts, right?

I tell ya, this sports court has everything. It is amazing. It will even do your dishes if you want. They normally cost $45K but Ryan put it on his vision board and found it used for 10K. Unbelievable! You rock Ryan.

 After our game was finished we settled around their firepit and had smores, seriously they have the world's greatest yard. I am breaking commandments all night by coveting the awesomeness!

 Chilling by the fire and look at the perfectly roasted marshmallow. Oh my does Corby know how to roast. One of his many talents!

 Ada and Drew

 Showing off the goods

So so great!

After awhile the little ones were tired and getting bored of sitting around the fire so we migrated into the house and let the girls each take a turn on the baby grand. Ryan is a talented musician. He doesn't read music just plays by ear. He is amazing. I could listen to him for hours, he is so good.

One day little ones, if you practice and have the will you too can be as great as Ryan. He is a product of hard work and diligence.

What a fantastic evening we had. So fun to hang out and enjoy good friends.

On to Perpetuity!

Dinner Groups

Our ward does these dinner groups every so many months. Typically I don't host, but this go around I decided to pony up and volunteer. The way it works is different auxillaries are put in charge and if you host someone will call you and tell you who will be coming to your house for dinner. Each couple that comes, contributes to the meal. In the past it has been a really fun experience but it always seems like Corby and I get put with the older folks that we have nothing in common with. So I took matters into my own hands and invited three couples to my house. I just let the primary presidency know of my idea and the secretary said it should be fine.
I invited Heather and Brandon Gresham, Scott and Stephanie Hoyt, Sheryl and Randy Broomhead and then of course Corby and I. I chose these couples because I have a genuine interest in getting to know them. I teach Sunday School with Heather and use to teach primary with Sheryl and visit taught Stephanie for three short months.
I did Cafe Rio chicken Salad for dinner. Stephanie brought key lime pie for dessert and Heather brought salsa and chips. The Broomheads were not able to join us as they had family in from out of town, so next time Sheryl and Randy for sure.
Each couple brought their children and my older girls watched them downstairs while we enjoyed dinner and games upstairs. Oh, how I love the willing hearts of my oldest three.

We played one of our family favorites, Slide 5. It was such a relaxing, low key environment.  I loved every minute of the evening. I hope to invite more couples over as there are a lot I don't know and would love to get to know better.

These were every bit as delicious as they look. So yummy! Stephanie is a really good cooker.

Alice in Wonderland

Synopsis

In 1865, English author, Lewis Carroll, wrote a book for Alice. Edith and Lorina, children of his friend, Henry Liddell. Our ballet opens with Carroll creating the characters for his book who come to life in his imagination. Carroll presents the book to Alice which she shares with her sisters at the park. A White Rabbit hops by, glancing at his pocket watch, and upset about being late.

Burning with curiosity, Alice follows and falls down the rabbit hole after him, "Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end." At the bottom of the rabbit hole is a hall of doors where Allice experiences changes to her height. She becomes so frustrated that she cries many tears and some animals are swimming around in them. All of the animals decide to dry off by having a race. Alice finally enters the garden and encounters a caterpillar and other magical insects and flowers. "Who are you?" Said the Caterpillar. "I hardly know, Sir, just at present.....at least I know who I was this morning, but I have changed several times since then...."

After leaving the garden, Alice sees footmen with an invitation for the Duchess. At the house of the Duchess, the cook was putting too much pepper in the soup and the baby was howling and everyone was sneezing. The Cheshire Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. "Cheshire....would you tell me, please which way I ought to go from here?" Alice wanders and encounters the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the sleepy Dormouse having a perpetual tea party.

As the second act opens, Alice discovers gardeners painting white roses red. The Royal Grand Procession comes into the garden on their way to the croquet ground. "......and last of all came the King and Queen of Hearts." The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. Off with their heads!" The croquet match sarts with live hedgehogs as balls, the mallets as live flamingos and cards as wickets. Jack, the Knave of Hearts, is accused of stealing tarts at the game and brought to trial. Alice pleads for Jack during the trial and becomes angry at the Queen. "Who cares for you? You're nothing but a pack of cards!" The cards are thrown into the air.

The ballet ends as Alice awakens in the park with memories of her adventures in wonderland.

Malia in the Green Room with her dancing buddy Tessa. They are parade cards.

Because the Parade Cards were not in Act 1 they had a lot of time to entertain themselves. Silly silly girls.

I wish I could have taken more photos but it was strictly forbidden. The only place to photograph was in green room. I bought the video and will have that as a keep sake. What a wonderful opportunity this has been for Malia.

 Flowers her Dad bought after her matinee performance.

In between performances, the cast was invited to a Gala at the bowery. It was a great day, so sunny and bright. The girls were fed and then given time to autograph each others poster of the event. There was a huge line for the high school girl who played Alice. It was so cute to sit back and observe.

Before the Gala began, a lady had reserved the bowery for her daughter's birthday party. She wanted the bowery longer than what she had it reserved for so when we showed up to set up the Gala she began screaming at us telling us we did not need to set up so early. Then she exclaimed that she needed the bowery and did not care that we had it reserved. The lady who dealt with this was kind and just kept telling her that she was sorry but we needed the bowery. The birthday mom was so distraught she poured her soda pop all over our bags of food for the girls. Can you believe that? Some people have a lot of pent up issues. Luckily we were able to salvage enough food that all our girls got lunch. Mind boggling that a grown lady would act so childish.

I had a super touching experience that I would like to share. During the 2 o'clock matinee  I was helping with costumes. If a dancer had an issue with her costume, she came to me to fix it. Now, people, I am not a seamstress AT ALL. It kind of stressed me out but I guess it was all good with my make shift fix-it jobs. Anyway, a little dancer dressed as a skunk came in for assistance. I could tell right away she pulled her hair out. My heart just sank for her and her dear mother. I have been there, I knew exactly what the mom was feeling. I asked the lady who was working aside me if she knew who her mother was. She pointed her out to me later in the day. I just knew I needed to approach the mother but was nervous to. "Hi, I am a total stranger and I want to talk to you about something so personal with your daughter". I was reluctant for several minutes than just pulled up my big girl panties and walked up to her. Luckily, the mom began walking to her car so she was alone. I was behind her and just said,"Oh excuse me Madam". She turned and gave me the most odd look. I said I am so sorry to approach you on this matter but does your daughter pull her hair? She was first pretty hard and said why do you ask. I explained that I had gone through the same situation about a year ago. She looked at me and burst into tears. I literally saw her entire body just crumble in front of me. I told her of a therapist that I had found that helped Malia in as little as 6 to 8 visits. She wanted the number and was so grateful.
I saw her the Monday after the performance and she once again thanked me and said that she already had an appointment. I am so grateful that I was prompted to do this, I know this little 9 year old girl will get the help she deserves and be able to live a normal life.

Turning 43

Happy Birthday to Jennifer. Happy Birthday to Jennifer. Happy Birthday dear Jennifer, Happy Birthday to you!

Yes, I just sang to myself.......I might be losing it but that is ookee dookee.

Sunday the 5th, my younger sister, Hollie and her sweet family came up for dinner and FHE, a tradition we have done for 10+ years.  She made a coconut cake, delish and we sang happy birthday. It was great to spend time with cousins.

This cake was delish! It was so light and fluffy, perfect summer time treat. This recipe is a keeper for sure.

 Hollie with Corby stalking in the background

This photo is a keeper for sure, aren't I a beauty queen???? It was the only one taken while opening up my gifts, I had to use it. Thanks Corb for the one, two, three, smile! Kathleen spoiled me rotten. She gave me new dish towels, wash rags, a glass cake holder(one she had for years but no longer uses, lol) a sign stating how "M" doesn't stand for maid it stands for mother.

On the 9th, I had one of the best days I can remember. It started with breakfast on the couch, not a fan of breakfast in bed. My phone was non-stop, texting galore. I loved it. Heard from all my siblings and a few of Corby's coolest siblings. I worked out and took the little ones to their regular schedule of preschool with friends. Corby helped me, by taking Malia to her first Alice in Wonderland performance. We met up at home for lunch and Corby made dinner.
Kathleen came down to watch the little ones while Corby, myself and three oldest all attended a body language seminar that evening. It was a little tricky to get Malia from her ballet practice and arrive on time but it all worked out. I have decided I love to live my life with so many things going on....NOT! Time and season and this is the season for over scheduled mommy!
To say that I loved this seminar would be an understatement. I love this kind of stuff. Most don't get it and think I am strange, but my friend Erika reminds me I am on a different plane than most and until they are thinking like myself, they won't get it. To be completely honest, I don't care if others think I am strange for wanting to celebrate this way or not, to each their own.

Let's talk body language! The presenter said that if we are struggling in our lives it is because we are not aligned with our words and actions. He taught us for 3 1/2 hours and I soaked every minute of it up. I was glad my girls were there as well. The mind is a powerful tool. I want more than anything else in this life for my family to believe they can do anything they want. I want them to think positively and go for the moon.
Thanks for all birthday wishes, it was a great day.

Mother's Day, Cafe Rio Style

I have always felt a little jipped(is that a word?) with my birthday being so close to Mother's Day. More times than not, it is a phone call for birthday followed up with "oh, and happy mother's day too" or vice versa. My favorite is the gifts my extended family gives me, they just have one gift count for both. Now I know how the poor folks with December birthday's feel. People, wrap December birthday gifts in regular birthday wrapping and don't use a Christmas gift as a fill in birthday gift. Thank you for letting me get on my soapbox. I don't care so much  about gifts but I do want two days like every other hard working mother out there. So even if my two special days are close together, I want my days of pampering family......!

Teesh did not disappoint. She asked me what I wanted for my mother's day dinner. I really drew a blank. I don't necessarily daydream about my favorite foods but the thought came to me....... Cafe Rio, chicken salad...... yummy.  I told Teesh that is what I wanted. She immediately Googled and found appropriate recipes to make the meal happen. Oh, how I love the woman Teesh is developing into. So resourceful and responsible. I am a proud momma.

Saturday morning  I was met with the aroma of breakfast burritos made by my loving husband. I ate on the couch as I don't love to eat in bed. I spent the entire day at ballet with Malia so I was literally gone from noon until after 11PM. Malia had two performances and did fabulous. I was helping in the background making the show go on without much flaw. It was a great experience for everyone involved.  We went to bed from pure exhaustion. Oh and I need to add that Teesh and I ran 8 miles when I got home at 11. I am training for the Spartan Beast in June and did not get my run in earlier. I was so tired when the run was completed. Running at midnight sure makes it tough to fall asleep at a decent hour.

 Church came early, 9:00 AM early. It was a treat to have Corby with our family during sacrament meeting. It was fast and testimony meeting so we didn't need to bother with breakfast. I felt prompted to bear my testimony. I felt awkward and weird since I don't feel accepted by most of my ward members. I try really hard to remember that it isn't about them, it is about my relationship with my Heavenly Father but oh how I feel judged. I have made mistakes in my past and I have done things I regret and I truly feel like I will never be able to live it down. I hate it. Strong word I know, but I do. I am finding a few souls who haven't been influenced and warned of me that seem to want to be my friend, thank goodness for those few souls. In the end, I know that I am a child of God and I have worth even if others don't agree. I must have a forgiving heart so that I can become all that I want to become in this life. Trials........gotta love them.

Here is my precious families meal. Doesn't it look divine? Great job family and the food tastes delicious

I got a mint truffle as my mother's day gift at Church. I grabbed a few extra for those who were not in attendance. It had a cute saying on a card. Happy Mother's Day!

Teesh worked her little can off preparing for the meal. Corby helped here and there but frankly he just doesn't enjoy cooking. I have realized he finds others to fulfill that. I am OK with it actually because he isn't afraid to clean bathrooms, mop kitchen floors or give little girls baths. I can't have everything so I'll release the cooking wish and celebrate the other gifts of service he performs.


The meal was so similar to the real deal. It really hit the spot and I loved every bite of it.

Thanks family for the great Mother's Day. I received an iTunes gift card from Teesh(she is tired of hearing me complain about my music on my I pod as we run for hours and hours)and Malia. They also bought me a new broom. My old broom was thrown away and I never learned to appreciate the new one that was given as a replacement. Happiness for sure. Corby gave me the gift of shade, a canopy type contraption that I will use during my many visits to Seven Peaks this summer. The girls all wrote me special notes in a card. A keep sake for sure.
What a great day! I am so blessed and loved. I am one lucky girl!

My friend sent me this. We had been talking about going to the bathroom with an audience and then I saw this. I love the spindly legs. Who can relate? Me Me Me.